Fox's Dana Perino: Republican Funded Anti-Trump Super-PAC Is “A Day Late And A Dollar Short”

Perino: “It's Not Going To Be Pretty At The End”

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

In a March 1 report for The New York Times, Maggie Haberman reported the emergence of the “Our Principles PAC,” created for a “full-fledged campaign against Donald J. Trump -- and his surrogates -- in an effort to thwart his rise, including hiring the former communications director to Jeb Bush and creating an opposition research wing.” The Times also reports the PAC will focus on “Mr. Trump's words and business record,” and highlight “Mr. Trump's refusal on Sunday to disavow the former Ku Klux Klan official David Duke.” During the March 1 edition of Fox News' America's Election HQ, Fox host Megyn Kelly reported the formation of the “Our Principles” PAC, stating “they believe it will mean the end of the Republican Party if [Donald Trump] gets the nomination.” Fox Host Dana Perino reacted, stating “I also wonder if those people that are putting that together are just a day late, and a dollar short”:

MEGYN KELLY (CO-HOST): Dana, in the meantime, the Republicans seem to be -- some faction of them in full panic mode, because as Bret mentioned with Charles, The New York Times is reporting tonight that there is going to be a new super PAC, Our Principles PAC that -- whose sole goal is “how do we stop Donald Trump?” Meg Whitman, Todd Rickets, some other very well known and influential Republicans getting together to try to put their money into this effort now, saying that Tim Miller, the former communications director for the Jeb Bush for president campaign is going to run the communications for this group. And they are going to try to tap into this dissatisfaction that we are seeing in some of these exit polls about Donald Trump becoming the nominee, because these people say they believe it will mean the end of the Republican Party if he gets the nomination. It's not just that the Republican Party is split. It's that they believe it will be the end of it.

DANA PERINO: And it could be. I also wonder if those people that are putting that together are just a day late, and dollar short. Because, there is a saying in politics that “you need to be for what's going to happen”. And I think that some Republicans would have a very hard time. You know, #NeverTrump, that was the hashtag that ran over the weekend. I think that if it had been Jeb had been the nominee, there would have been enough people saying “Never Jeb” and there would have been an equal number of people trying to stop Jeb at that point. When you push for disruption of a party, and you end up getting it, this is -- it's not going to be pretty at the end.